Germany to return WWII-looted Polish treasures: Report
'The handover is expected to take place this month and is intended as a symbolic gesture marking the 35th anniversary of the 1991 Polish-German Treaty on Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation,' according to Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza
Germany is expected to return several Polish cultural treasures looted during WWII, including a ring associated with King Sigismund I the Old, a medieval manuscript fragment containing Gaude Mater Polonia, and writings by celebrated Polish author Stefan Zeromski, according to reports published in Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza on Monday.
The handover is expected to take place this month and is intended as a symbolic gesture marking the 35th anniversary of the 1991 Polish-German Treaty on Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, one of the foundational agreements underpinning relations between the two countries after the collapse of communism in 1989, the daily claimed.
Among the objects due to be returned are artifacts regarded as important elements of Poland's cultural heritage, among the tens of thousands of items lost during the German occupation of Poland between 1939 and 1945.
The move follows Germany's return in December 2025 of several medieval Polish documents and other historical artifacts, part of a gradual process of restitution that has accelerated in recent years.
Polish authorities estimate that hundreds of thousands of artworks, manuscripts, books, and historical objects were removed from Poland during WWII. The Ministry of Culture has pursued the recovery of many of these items through diplomatic negotiations, legal proceedings, and international cooperation.
However, the gesture is unlikely to ease one of the most sensitive disputes in contemporary Polish-German relations: compensation for surviving victims of the Nazi German occupation.
During a visit to Berlin in December, Prime Minister Donald Tusk raised the issue with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, arguing that time was running out for the approximately 50,000 surviving Polish victims of wartime persecution.
Despite repeated demands, Berlin refuses to provide additional state reparations, claiming that the issue has been resolved through postwar agreements and subsequent treaties.
At the same time, German governments have sought to improve relations through historical initiatives, educational projects, memorial activities, and the return of cultural property.
The restitution of looted artifacts comes as Warsaw and Berlin seek to strengthen cooperation on security, defense, and support for Ukraine while managing persistent disagreements over history and memory.
